Longevity Candle

Chapter 30 Are there immortals in the world?

Jiang Zhu wanted to tell her not to seek the immortal path or pursue immortality, but after thinking about it, he didn't say it.

He had given Ayan some advice, but she remained persistent.

If I were to mention immortality, it would only fuel her obsession.

Now, Yaoyao practices martial arts for the sake of Peach Blossom Village, and it is hoped that she will never pursue the path of immortality in her lifetime.

He went to see the Qingjiang River and the mountains and forests. Because of the drought, the animals had all migrated, and there were only some animals left near the water source.

But the quantity is too small.

"Drought?" Jiang Zhu murmured, as if a blue light was shining in the distance.

It was an old tortoise carrying a stone tablet with words carved on it, which were concealed by magic.

Jiang Zhu drifted away and landed on the old tortoise's back, looking at the words on the stone tablet.

"Emperor Yong'an killed spirits without authorization, which damaged the nation's fortune by 30%. Natural disasters will continue for a hundred years. The spirits of Qingjiang have been cursed with three hundred years of arduous cultivation."

The stone tablet vanished, transforming into a green snake that faced Jiang Zhu directly: "Zhu, I have finally waited for you. Do you still remember me now?"

"Do you remember that the current drought is related to you?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"You remember me?" The green snake was taken aback and said, "Was it the message left to you by the previous Green Lantern Spirit?"

"I was just asleep; what was scattered at that time was only a thought of mine," Jiang Zhu said. It seemed that the Qingjiang spirit thought he had perished.

He simply fell into a deep sleep prematurely and was not injured, but since it involved the fate of the nation, it cannot be said that nothing happened to him.

“I see. Then you and I only share a part of this natural disaster,” said the Green Snake.

"A part?" Jiang Zhu asked in confusion. "Please enlighten me, Qingjiang Spirit."

"You are too young to know, it's normal. Elves are born from heaven and earth, and are part of heaven and earth."

"If the Qian Kingdom attacks the elves, it will inevitably suffer karmic retribution from heaven and earth, and its national fortune will be damaged..."

"It is Qingjiang Spirit who tells the story."

Attacking the elves angers the heavens, and a calamity will befall them!

The Qingjiang spirits went so far as to spend three hundred years in arduous cultivation to curse the Qian Kingdom, damaging thirty percent of its national fortune and intensifying natural disasters.

The Qian Kingdom not only targeted the Qingjiang spirits but also the Jiangzhu, making their karmic retribution even stronger.

“Logically speaking, you did not perish. Even with my curse, the natural disaster should not have been this severe.”

Green Snake frowned and said, "Then there is only one possibility: either someone wants to destroy the Qian Kingdom, or the Qian Kingdom has also attacked other elves and severely injured that elf."

He fell into a deep sleep beforehand, without being injured or dying; there must be another reason related to karma.

"Since they are burdened by karma, why would the Qian Kingdom do this? Does that emperor truly disregard the fate of the nation?" Jiang Zhu frowned and asked, "And what about the immortal masters who bewitched the emperor in the past?"

“In the past, immortal masters would first plan and obtain an official position from the emperor, thus connecting with the fate of the nation and not being suppressed by it.”

They then manipulated the emperor, using the nation's destiny to suppress and seize the spirits, and afterwards severed their connection with the nation's destiny, so the karmic consequences they suffered were negligible.

"That's what the green snake explained."

Jiang Zhu understood. The blame was placed on the imperial dynasty, and the karmic retribution brought endless natural and man-made disasters, ultimately leading to the dynasty's destruction.

Meanwhile, immortal masters and Taoist priests would take spirits far away and fly high, thus prolonging their lives.

In the eyes of those immortal masters and Taoists, a prosperous country is nothing more than a cradle for prolonging life and achieving immortality.

"Can immortal masters and Taoist practitioners not achieve immortality?" Jiang Zhu asked.

“No, unless you are a true immortal.” The green snake said, “Even though we are spirits of heaven and earth with long lifespans, we cannot truly live forever. After we die, heaven and earth will give birth to new spirits, and they will not be us anymore. That’s why I asked you if you remember me.”

"Have you ever seen a real immortal?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"I have never seen immortals. Their existence is just a legend. Some people say that we elves are immortals because we bestow magical powers and guide mortals onto the path of immortality. Later, those mortals who walked the path of immortality became immortal masters in the eyes of mortals."

"I don't know when it started, but the news spread that immortals could live forever. We don't know if immortals really exist, but human immortal masters firmly believe that immortals do exist," the Green Snake sighed.

"Are there any immortal elves?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"Perhaps so. It is said among the elves that thousands of years ago, an old elf saw an ancient sun elf. He had not changed and was not a new sun elf," said the green snake.

"Do the newborn elves look different from the previous generation?"

“Of course they’re different. Newborn elves are new life,” said the Green Serpent.

Jiang Zhu fell into deep thought. What about himself?

He is practically immortal, but he needs to slumber and cannot sense his lifespan. Is it possible for him to truly live forever?
“Candle, you need to hide yourself. The white crane said you can’t use incense, so there’s no need for you to enter the world anymore.”

The Great Qian Dynasty is in chaos. If no one of great talent and vision appears to restore the nation's fortunes, it will enter its final years. At that time, the world will be even more chaotic, and the people will suffer greatly. In that time, spirits and monsters will descend into the world to perform good deeds and gather offerings.

The green snake said, "You are still young, so you may become their target. They might even disregard karma and forcibly attack you."

"So crazy? Can they bear the karma of killing elves without permission?" Jiang Zhu asked.

“Transfer of karma,” the Green Serpent said. “When the Mountain and Sea Spirits first led mortals onto the path of immortality, it wasn’t out of kindness, but because they needed them to do things. And the karma created by their actions cannot affect the Mountain and Sea Spirits. You can also choose a person with the talent for immortality to go into the mortal world on your behalf. I will teach you how to check the talent of a master immortal.”

Transfer your karma!

A streak of light disappeared into Jiang Zhu's brow.

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "Thank you, Qingjiang Spirit. I will be careful. Will you return to the mortal world?"

“I am injured and do not wish to gather incense offerings anymore. Greed for incense offerings will expose me.” The green snake shook its head and said, “If I had not gathered incense offerings back then, I would not have been found.”

"This is my fault. I was the one who sheltered Liu Lang's family on the banks of the Qingjiang River," Jiang Zhu said apologetically.

"This has nothing to do with you. The reason they were able to find me is because I didn't handle things well back then. Otherwise, even if you brought them here, they still wouldn't be able to find me."

The green snake said, "This time, no one knows where I am. They can't find me. You must be careful. Although 30% of the nation's fortune has been cut off, there will still be immortal masters who will forcefully enter the world."

"Forced entry into the world?" Jiang Zhu frowned. "A dynasty in its final days, forcibly slaying a spirit?"

"Yes, there are many immortal masters whose time is coming to an end. Now that the nation's fortunes have been damaged, it has ruined their plans. But they have no time left and can only try their best."

In the battle of Qingjiang, I deliberately let a few people go. They took the news of your demise with them and will no longer be watching you.

As the Green Snake finished speaking, its form became faint: "This last bit of my magic power is about to dissipate. I hope to see you grow up in the years to come. Take care."

"Take care." Jiang Zhu bowed.

The green snake transformed into azure specks of light and vanished into the air.

Jiang Zhu also returned to Taoyuan Village, where he sat cross-legged and gathered the essence of the sun and moon.

The Green Snake had already left, believing Jiang Zhu to be dead. Feeling guilty, it left behind a wisp of magic power, waiting for a new Green Lantern Spirit to be born.

The gestation of a new spirit may be a long process, but he could not sense the location of the blue lamp, so he could only have the old tortoise carry him and search in the direction the boat had left, waiting for its revival.

The young spirit, unaware of worldly dangers and the wickedness of immortals and Taoist masters, needed his guidance to prevent the new Green Lantern Spirit from encountering calamity.

A method for checking came to Jiang Zhu's mind.

Ordinary people are trapped by turbid energy, and their talents for immortality are hidden. Only by breaking through the turbid energy can they perceive the power of heaven and earth and step onto the path of immortality.

A glint flashed in Jiang Zhu's eyes as he looked at Yao Yao in the distance.

Unfortunately, Yao Yao has no talent for immortality.

A person with the talent for immortality is one in a million, even less likely than finding an elf.

Unlike other spirits, he doesn't have time to search. He only revives once every ten years or so, and can only stay for five hours now. He can't even go too far from the Green Lamp, so how can he have time to search?
"Forget it, I don't need to transfer karma." Jiang Zhu adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards creating a Daoist immortal.

He cannot absorb incense offerings, nor is he burdened with karma. His slumber has been too long, and his revival time is too short. Finding him is purely a matter of luck.

(End of this chapter)